Student of the Red Sands
by shaman95naruto
Summary: Unknown to Konoha, Naruto was taken at a young age by a certain Scorpion. Taught in the art of Puppetry, he returned after 5yrs and kept his teachings a secret. Now, years later Master and Student reunite once again and Naruto sheds the false life he fooled others with for the true life he lives as Sasori's Secret Apprentice! Calm/Smart/Puppeteer. ADOPTED from pain17ification
1. Chapter 1

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!T_T

"Speech"

" _Mental/Distorted"_

' _Thoughts'_

" **Bijuu/Techniques"**

* * *

[Scene Shift]

Chapter 1: Reunion of Master and Student

Standing atop the surface of the water before a sealed boulder were four people. Two males – one an adult and the other in his mid teens – stood next to two females – an elderly woman and a teenage girl.

The elderly woman was Chiyo of Sunagakure and she was known for both her skills in puppets and in poisons. The adult man was Hatake Kakashi, a Jonin of Konohagakure and sensei of Team 7. The teenage girl was Haruno Sakura, a Chunin and apprentice of Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage.

The last member was Uzumaki Naruto, a Genin of Konoha (though only on paper) and student of both Kakashi and Jiraiya the Toad Sage. He was looking intently at the stone, as if trying to peer through the earthen structure and see inside. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly and his left hand twitched while his right flexed its fingers every couple of seconds.

No one noticed his little quirks due to focusing on preparing strategies against their opponents. One of them was known as Deidara, the Mad Bomber of Iwa, while the other was Sasori, the Scorpion of the Red Sands. Chiyo knew that Sasori would be difficult due to being a prodigal puppeteer while Deidara was not to be underestimated due to being witnessed making a bomb big enough to engulf Suna.

" _The seals are found and ready to be removed, my Eternal Rival!"_ Gai's voice called out through their wireless radios.

"Copy that, Gai," Kakashi responded before he prepared to remove the seal on the boulder. "Ready on three; one…two…THREE!"

As soon as "three" was called, Kakashi – as well as Team Gai at the other four seal spots – pulled off the seal tag and he leapt out of the way right when Sakura rushed at the boulder and slammed a chakra infused fist into it, reducing it to rubble.

Once the barrier was removed, the four jumped inside the cavern and were met with the sight of Sasori standing next to Deidara, who was seated on top of Gaara, the Godaime Kazekage and now ex-Jinchuriki of the Ichibi.

"About time you made it here, hm," Deidara commented as he rested his chin on his right palm.

Sasori said nothing and just stared down the newcomers. Two people made him stare longer, but he didn't show any outward signs of surprise of recognition.

"Surrender yourselves and release the Kazekage!" ordered Kakashi with his Sharingan eye revealed. Sakura had her fists clenched in preparation and Chiyo's hands twitched slightly. Naruto however stood perfectly still with no signs of preparing for a fight. In fact, Kakashi noticed out of the corner of his eye that his entire posture was that of someone calmly assessing the situation. ' _Strange…'_

"Oh boy, they really believe we'll surrender so easily, hm. What do you think, Sasori my man?"

Again, the puppet master said nothing and kept his gaze on the blonde Uzumaki. A growing tension slowly filled the air and both men envisioned different people standing before them. For Sasori, he envisioned a small blonde boy with empty eyes staring at him with a flicker of respect. For Naruto, he envisioned a man in his late teens with red hair and apathetic eyes that looked down to him with acceptance.

Finally, Sasori spoke up. "You've grown…my student."

Everyone, except Naruto and Sasori, looked shocked at the statement. However, the shock deepened when the Uzumaki replied in a much too calm tone, "And you look the same as ever…Shishō (Master)."

The puppeteer chuckled at him, making Naruto give a small smile. "Of all the times we meet again, I didn't think it'd be now. But, I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"I agree… I kept my promise, Shishō."

"Indeed you did. How far have you come along?"

"3 standards, 3 advanced, and 3 human," answered the blonde.

Another chuckle was heard. "Very good… You've done well, my student." He then looked the Uzumaki dead in the eye and declared, "But now…the time has come."

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki's crystal blue eyes darkened with depression and his gaze turned to the ground in front of him. "Hai…it is."

Sasori moved forward slightly so that he stood in front of Deidara while Naruto did the same for his side. Kakashi scowled at this and reprimanded, "Naruto, what are you doing?! He's an S-Rank criminal _and_ a member of Akatsuki! You can't face him alone!"

"It doesn't matter what you _think_ he is, Kakashi," Naruto replied calmly. "All that matters is what I _know_ he is; and what he is to me is my first teacher, master, and guardian. He was the one…who pulled me out of my own darkness."

[Flashback (Naruto Age 5)]

A blonde child wearing nothing more than a tattered black shirt and brown shorts that needed to be tied with a worn out rope was seen seated in the rain inside of a cardboard box. The rain pelted against the weak shelter like kunai rains down on a battalion.

Dead were his eyes, dirty was his skin, and empty was his heart. He was the spawn, the demon, the monster…the Kyuubi reborn.

The "roof" of his shelter finally gave way, allowing the rain to strike him mercilessly. He didn't care, for he had long since accepted his fate as an affront to nature.

Footsteps were heard on the flooded streets, each footfall creating a splash in its wake. He didn't bother to look up when the sandaled feet of the passerby stopped in front of him.

A soft male voice broke through the rain. "Such defeat… You have nothing and no one, don't you?"

This time, Naruto did look and he saw a man standing before him. His messy red hair was being soaked by the downpour while his brown eyes stared at him with not an ounce of pity, loathing, or concern. In fact, when he focused on them, the little blonde saw a small glint of curiosity in the brown orbs staring down at him.

"Tell me… What would you give to have a purpose?"

"…Anything," answered the Uzumaki.

"Even your soul; your freedom?"

"…Yes."

The man nodded and pulled out a scroll. From it, he unsealed an adult sized cloak and tossed it to the boy. "Then surrender your freedom to me and follow. I will give you purpose, but only if you can prove your value."

The blonde's dead stare met the redhead's apathetic one, locking onto it for practically a lifetime before he nodded and covered himself in the cloak. The man did nothing except turn and make his way out of Konoha's gates with Naruto in step behind him.

Konoha wouldn't see the boy for over five years.

[Present Time]

"From then on, I was taught in the ways of puppets by Sasori for around four years. Every day was spent in educating me in the workings, the usage, and the potential of the puppet arts. After the four years had passed, he took me back to Konoha with one last lesson…"

"…To a ninja – especially a puppeteer – deception is your greatest weapon," finished the scorpion.

"I don't believe it," whispered Chiyo in surprise. "You actually helped another; but why?"

"His potential was as clear as day. Of course, teaching him control was the biggest issue due to him being a vessel, but he proved that no obstacle could keep him from his goal. He is the best student I ever took…and the _only_ one I will ever acknowledge as my potential equal."

Stunned silence ruled the cavern while Naruto bit his left thumb and wiped it on a seal behind his neck, unsealing a scroll that he caught with his right hand. Opening it slightly, he spread blood over another seal and engulfed his form in a plume of smoke.

When it cleared, a towering figure stood behind the blonde. Easily reaching 7ft, it took the form of a humanoid figure donned in chain mail armor, a blood red cape with a black furred trim, and a steel crown with two of its six prongs broken. Strapped to its left arm was a crescent shaped shield while a battle axe with a 4ft blade was strapped to its back and a small sword was strapped to its waist.

"You still kept that one; after all these years?" questioned Sasori.

"Of course… It was the first one I ever made; the Forsaken King," answered the blonde while blue chakra strings appeared from his left hand and attached to the puppet. "Shall we, Shishō?"

He nodded before he turned to his partner. "Deidara, stay out of this. This is the final test for my apprentice; the one that will show if he has surpassed me."

The blonde bomber chuckled and raised his arms in a shrugging way. "Whatever you say, hm."

"Kakashi, Sakura, Chiyo…stay out of the way," ordered the Uzumaki.

"But Naruto-!" started the pinkette, but she was cut off by Chiyo.

"Of course… This means more than any other fight, doesn't it?" asked the elder, which the blonde nodded to. "Then we won't interfere."

"Lady Chiyo!" Sakura exclaimed in shock.

"That's enough, Sakura," Kakashi declared. "This is Naruto's fight… To interfere would be the biggest insult to him."

Sakura looked like she wanted to argue, but one glare from Naruto stopped her cold. The glare was the first time she had ever seen him angry with her, and it scared her. Giving up her attempts to stop him, she just nodded and the Uzumaki twitched his left hand.

The King rushed forward, its right arm grasping the axe on its back while the left raised the shield before it to lead its charge. Sasori responded by launching his scorpion like tail, but the shield batted it aside while the axe came swinging in for a strike. The scorpion leapt aside and pointed its mouth at Naruto before dozens of senbon shot out from it.

Acting quickly, Naruto rolled out of the way while flexing his left fingers, making the King open its own mouth and fire three smoke bombs. The smoke blanketed the cavern, lowering visibility down to practically nothing. Kakashi's Sharingan peered through it with ease due to its ability to see chakra, but he didn't speak. He said he wouldn't interfere, and he'd keep his word.

Naruto curled his pinky and pointer fingers while his middle and ring moved up and down rapidly and his thumb rolled clockwise. The result was the King gripping its axe with both hands, but then the arms split down the middles, separating them into four separate limbs. The top two arms gripped the axe while the bottom left held the shield and the bottom right grabbed the sword.

"Going all out, Naruto?" questioned Sasori.

"To do otherwise would be insulting, Shishō," retorted the blonde before he sent the King after the scorpion. It began to spin with its run, using the momentum to swing its weapons and shield in a flurrying way. Sasori's tail rapidly moved to block as many strikes as it could, but one final swing of the axe cut through the tail, sending the tip about 8ft from their position.

Giving no time to react, Naruto had the King thrust its sword straight through Sasori's head right between the eyes. Instead of skin and blood though, it was wood and splinters. Naruto scowled slightly before he had the King bring down its axe to split Sasori in two.

However, a blur shot out from under the scorpion before the axe struck, revealing the redheaded visage of Sasori's real body. He smirked at the blonde and praised, "Excellent work… You managed to destroy Hiruko – an advanced puppet – with a standard puppet." He then pulled out a blue scroll and unsealed its contents. From the smoke, his voice called out, "I suppose it's time I used my favorite puppet."

Deidara smirked and commented, "Pulling out _that_ one, huh? This is getting good, hm."

The puppet draped over Sasori's shoulders had dark blue hair that framed its face with long bangs, yellow eyes, and a grayish brown cloak.

Chiyo gasped at the sight and whispered, "The Sandaime Kazekage… So, you were the one who killed him."

"Of course," answered the redhead. "He put up an entertaining fight, but I still took him down in the end before I made him my prized puppet."

Naruto had the King fall back and withdraw its weapons before he asked, "Is this the second part?"

"Yes… This will be a fight with human puppets. Bring out your choice, Naruto."

The blonde nodded before he lowered the collar of his shirt down to his chest and wiped blood over a seal on his heart. From the red scroll that appeared, he unsealed his human puppet. The puppet was that of a woman with long crimson hair that fell to her knees, violet eyes, and two swords strapped to her waist; a ninjato and a katana. She was dressed in a standard Konoha Jonin uniform.

Kakashi froze at the sight and stuttered out, "K-Kushina-sama?!"

Naruto gave him a sidelong look with narrowed eyes. "So, you knew my mother but never told me… I knew you were hiding something from me."

"Your mother?" asked Sakura in surprise.

"Yes, my mother; Uzumaki Kushina," answered the blonde. He then had her step forward while drawing out her swords; the ninjato held in a reverse grip in her left hand while the right hand held the katana blade down.

Sasori just nodded at his apprentice before he had the Kazekage open its mouth and spill black sand all around the redhead on the floor. "I hope you're prepared to have your mother be lost to you, Naruto."

"That won't happen, Shishō. Kaa-san and I have been preparing for this…for a _long_ time."

"I see… Then let us delay no longer!" cried the scorpion before he had the Kazekage shape the black sand into kunai shaped projectiles and fired them.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and channeled chakra through his strings and into the swords held by Kushina. Seals lit up near the tips of the blades before both swords were engulfed in flame. With various flexes of his fingers, Naruto controlled Kushina into blocking every projectile with blurred strikes. The heat from the swords hardened the black sand into solid shapes, showing that the sand was in actuality grains of iron.

"I told you Shishō," Naruto began before he channeled chakra into Kushina and had her emit chains of solidified chakra from her torso and launched them at the Kazekage.

Sasori kept his eye on the chains, moving his puppet out of the way of their quick strikes. Because of this, he was unaware of Naruto blurring away in a burst of speed until he saw his blonde apprentice above the Kazekage with a **Rasengan** in his right hand and chakra strings in his left. He thrust the sphere directly into the Kazekage's back, bringing it down to the ground and destroying it before he used his left hand to have Kushina race toward Sasori.

"I was prepared for this day!" finished the blonde as Kushina made to slice Sasori apart.

Unfortunately, Sasori stopped her when two blades ripped out from behind him and clashed with her swords. Naruto cursed as he disengaged the flames from the swords when he struck with the **Rasengan**.

"Most impressive…" he commented. "You actually got the drop on me and forced me to use… _myself_ ," he finished before he kicked Kushina away from him and ripped off the rest of his cloak. With nothing to cover his upper body, it was revealed that he had become a living puppet with a container that had the kanji for "scorpion" where his heart would be. He stood atop a cable that was stabbed into the ground and elevated his form slightly.

"Sasori… What have you become?" muttered Chiyo sadly while Kakashi and Sakura looked on in shock.

"The kid's pretty good, hm," Deidara commented with a smirk. "He actually forced you to use your own body."

"Deidara," Sasori began without looking at him, "leave now and report back to Leader-sama." He then removed his ring and tossed it to the blonde bomber. "Take that with you. No matter what happens now, I won't be coming back."

The Iwa Nuke-Nin nodded and created a large clay bird for him to ride away on. "We may have been at each other's throats, but it was still a good run, Sasori my man. I could even call it…a blast," he stated before he rode off.

"Sakura, we can't let him escape!" Kakashi declared before he and the pinkette rushed after the Mad Bomber.

Chiyo stayed, eyes focused on the battle between Master and Apprentice. Sasori pulled out one of the scrolls strapped to his back and grinned before he unleashed the contents. From it, one hundred puppets came forth, each connected to a charka string that connected to Sasori's core.

"Welcome to Hell; **Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen** (Red Secret Technique: Performance of 100 Puppets)!" cried the human puppet before he sent them at the blonde.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock at the technique and he quickly resealed his mother before his hands formed the seal that he was known for at home. " **Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Multi Shadow Clone)!" he roared.

From the smoke he created from the jutsu, one hundred clones appeared and took on every single one of Sasori's puppets. The real Naruto hid behind a rock and unsealed another of his standard puppets. The puppet was feminine in figure with long dark blue hair and green eyes. She was dressed in an outfit similar to a Feudal Era Priestess with a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. This puppet was known as Miko (Priestess).

Channeling chakra into his eyes and the seals placed on the eyes of Miko, Naruto's eyes flashed blue and he took in the sight from the point of view of his puppet. Intricately weaving his hands, he had Miko pull out her bow and an arrow with a seal on the tip that had the kanji for "Shock" on it. He had her draw the bowstring back, and she took aim at Sasori, who was dodging the clones while firing both flamethrowers and jets of water at them in retaliation.

"Just one shot," he murmured as he used the shared vision with his puppet to aim at Sasori's "heart". He finally saw the redhead turn and expose his chest before he declared, "There!"

Miko released the arrow, and it flew through the chaos created by Naruto's clones before it struck Sasori…but it missed the heart by inches.

Naruto quickly raised a half ram seal and initiated the seal on the arrow, sending a high level of electrical voltage into Sasori. Stray sparks and bolts hit his "heart", making him jerk and recoil in pain. He looked up just in time to see his apprentice take him down and pin him with his left hand on his chest and his right holding a kunai to his heart.

"It's over, Shishō," he muttered as Chiyo slowly approached them.

The redhead, too weak to escape, merely chuckled and stared up to the ceiling of the cave. "Indeed it is, my student." He then turned to him and gave a small smile with a nod. "You have won… You have surpassed me in the ways of puppets and deception. I'm proud to call you…my better, Naruto."

Despite himself, Naruto couldn't stop his eyes from forming tears at the corners. "I wanted to hear you say that….for a long time…Sasori." He then moved away from the downed human puppet with his expression growing more somber. "You're dying," he stated.

"Indeed… The shocks from your arrow overworked my heart. I probably have minutes at best, so I'll make them count. Firstly, I was supposed to meet my spy against Orochimaru one week from now at the Tenchi Bridge. There, you can learn what he's up to for the future and find out about the Uchiha that went to him."

Naruto nodded, committing the info to memory while listening to his Master's final words.

"Next, when I finally pass, I want you to take my puppet body. Keep my legacy alive and use me to aid you. Call it my last gift for my apprentice."

The Uzumaki gave another nod, but this was accompanied with a sad smile.

"Lastly, I feel that you should know this since I never believed it until now," he stated before he looked his student dead in the eye. "I never once thought I'd find comfort with another human when I made myself a puppet... But, I realized that I found that comfort when I took you with me and made you my apprentice. I'm…glad that I met you, Naruto... You made me feel joy after living a life of pain; not in the likeliness of a teacher instructing a student, but...in the way of a father passing on his works to his son... I thank you for helping me feel 'human' again…"

Tears spilt from Naruto's eyes as he fell to his knees and bowed to his Master. "No, Shishō… I should be thanking _you_. You gave me purpose and saved me from my own despair… You taught me, raised me, and made me the man I am today… I just wish we could have more time together…tou-san."

The scorpion merely smiled and looked back up to the ceiling. "We'll have that time…when our souls meet again in the next life. After all, art is everlasting…and what's more _everlasting_ than the soul?"

Naruto nodded to him and watched as the man slowly stopped moving and passed away. His eyes clenched tightly before he gently removed his Master's "heart" and sealed it into a scroll followed by the puppet body into a separate one.

"In all the years I knew my grandson, I never saw him show that much care for another person…" Chiyo commented, making Naruto turn to her. "You truly must have been something in his eyes, Naruto-san… And I think that I'm starting to see it."

He nodded to the elder in thanks before he moved to Gaara's body. He looked down sadly at the redhead; the one he could truly call brother. Of all the things his "happy" self experienced, the fight and experiences with Gaara were the most real.

Chiyo followed his gaze and frowned in thought before she went through handseals and began to send chakra into Gaara. Without bothering to see Naruto's confused look, she explained, "I may have been the one the place the Ichibi within him, but that doesn't mean I can't make up for it. After all, compared to his life, my life isn't worth all that much."

Naruto silently watched before he kneeled next to her and began to add his own chakra into her technique. He lost a father figure already…so, he wasn't gonna lose a brother as well.

[Timeskip: a few hours later]

Naruto stood atop a stone hill on the walls surrounding Sunagakure where a tombstone was placed. On its face was the epitaph "Here lies Sasori; a teacher, a grandson, and a father to one who nearly gave up. May his soul be as eternal as his puppet art."

Naruto bowed to the stone and declared, "I suppose this is goodbye for now, tou-san… I'll never forget all that you did for me, taught to me, and showed me. And I promise to keep your legacy alive. I'll live my life as Uzumaki Naruto; the Maelstrom of the Red Sands."

With one last look, he left the grave site, never taking notice of the setting sun hitting it just right so that it glowed with a mix of red and orange hues.

(End Chapter)

* * *

Here's a peek at my new stories!

It all started with a stupid idea, a stupidly awesome idea. We were both gonna write a story about how we got into the one piece world. How we thought of this awesomely stupid idea? Well, I had to jinx us and say "We would be awesome pirates." As you can tell by now I'm using the word awesome a lot. Well since I'm now in an anime somehow I've decided to take up a verbal. I do love Naruto. Believe it! Sorry for jumping all over the place. But it's been one hell of a ride. I suppose I should start at the beginning... Well we should start at the beginning.

Yea I'm not the only one stuck in this crazy too. Allow me to introduce my brother in all but blood. And my first mate. Kurama Otsutsuki now turned Roronoa Zoro. I'll let him tell his side of the story.

Well, what's there left to say? This idiot jinxed us and now, we're in a world we know technically nothing about, in a crew that still believes we're the same people that started this journey with them… how troublesome. sigh at least we didn't end up in the High School of the Dead universe, that would have been a complete nightmare compared to this… shit; I just realized I'm Zoro, which means that I have to do all those grueling exercises to keep my strength up and train in a fighting style I know nothing off…

Fuck you Toto, if I die, I'm going to enjoy torturing you in the underworld…

Troublesome...I'll let Toto talk again. Time to train.

Great Kurama is turning into Shikamaru. Just what I need. A lazy genius that can use pointy sticks. And screw you too Kurama! I already said that I was sorry. How the hell was I supposed to know all this would happen. By the way Kurama I'll torture you before you can torture me. At least we know we're both going to hell. Be thankful you're not the fucking Surgeon of Death.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the weird spacing issues. Hopefully it is fixed. Sorry.**

"Speech"

" _Mental/Distorted"_

' _Thoughts'_

" **Bijuu/Techniques"**

[Scene Shift]

Chapter 2: Truthful Consequences

The next morning, Naruto was seen standing in Gaara's office with the redhead giving him an even stare. Calm green eyes met apathetic blue that held a hint of happiness in them before the Godaime Kazekage spoke.

"You do understand that many people will have trouble adjusting to this change of yours, right Uzumaki?"

The blonde merely closed his eyes with a small smirk on his face reminiscent of his deceased master. "You make it sound like I'm _becoming_ what I am now. Rest assured Gaara…this is me _ceasing_ my act. For too long I've lived under the guise of a naïve child, hiding away my true abilities and experiences under Sasori; but no more. It's time I showed my true nature to the world since the promise to my old master is now void with his passing."

"I see… Tell me something though; was what you told me when we fought your mask…or the real you?"

Naruto just kept his smirk and made to leave the office. Once he opened the door, he looked back over his shoulder and asked, "What do _you_ think?"

As soon as his office door closed, Gaara let a small smile grace his face. "I knew it…"

With the blonde puppeteer, he was walking down one of the many roads of Sunagakure with his hands in his pockets and a large scroll on his back. Since he decided to stop lying to the world, he unsealed all of the scrolls that held his puppets – 11 in total with the addition of Hiruko and Sasori – and placed them all in a scroll that was on par in size with the one Jiraiya always wore.

"Naruto!" called out a voice, making him turn and see Temari trying to flag him down. He stopped walking to let her catch up. "I'm glad I found you before you and your team left. I wanted to thank you for saving Gaara."

"No thanks are needed, Temari. Gaara's my friend and my brother, so I'd save him even if you didn't ask me to."

She nodded with a small smile before her gaze turned serious. "Is what Sakura told me true?"

His face became blank at the question. "About Sasori being my old master?" She nodded. "It's true…"

To his surprise, she chuckled lightly. "Quite the surprise when I heard her practically yelling about it to me. I think you may have broken her during the rescue." Her face formed a teasing grin before she asked, "Think you'd be able to fix her, oh great puppet master?"

"I'm afraid that she's _far_ beyond fixing," he replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand before the two chuckled at the joke. "Does Kankuro know?"

"Not yet; why?"

"I honestly don't feel like getting hounded by him for details on Sasori-sensei's teachings or secrets," he answered with an annoyed expression, making her laugh at his face.

"I make no promises about not telling him, Whiskers," she stated as she bid him goodbye and headed to Gaara's office.

Naruto merely waved lightly to her as she left before he resumed his walk to the hotel his team and Team Gai were staying at. They left for Konoha in about an hour, so he wanted to be ready to go. One of the things he inherited from his master was his utter hatred for making others wait and being _kept_ waiting. It was one of the main reasons why he actually screamed at Kakashi alongside Sakura when they were younger.

He entered the room he shared with Team 7 and was met with an awkward air in the room. It was obvious that they were still trying to figure out who Naruto really was now that he dropped his old mask. Sighing softly, he said nothing and prepared his backpack to leave, aware of the stares he was receiving from Kakashi and Sakura.

' _Kami-sama, I hope we leave soon,'_ he mentally groaned.

[Timeskip: Departure Time (Suna's Main Entrance)]

The group of eight Konoha shinobi stood in front of the Suna Trio to say their farewells. The Jonin – Neji included – bowed respectfully while Lee cried "manly tears" about coming back for another "youthful visit" and the kunoichi merely nodded goodbye.

Naruto stepped forward and held out his hand to Gaara, which was taken almost immediately, and the two shook their hands in farewell. "I hope that your next trip here will be on better terms, Uzumaki."

"Same here, Gaara. I'll send you a message concerning what we talked about when I get settled back home," replied the blonde, making the redhead nod with a faint smile.

Temari gave her fellow blonde a hug goodbye while Kankuro shook his hand. He then gained a slightly pleading look and was about to speak before he was elbowed in the gut by his sister who gave him a stern look. A cloud of depression formed over his head while Naruto followed after his team with a light chuckle.

About a half an hour of walking later, Kakashi gave his blonde student a sidelong glance. The blonde merely kept his gaze on the path before him while he walked with his hands in his pockets. "Naruto," he began, getting the Uzumaki to give him a bored look in acknowledgment, "you do realize that Tsunade-sama will need to know about this… _revelation_ of yours, right?"

"It crossed my mind, yes," he answered calmly, making the silver haired Jonin sigh. Honestly, the blonde sounded way too much like the deceased Akatsuki member that it was slightly scary.

"I still can't believe you never told us or trusted us with this, Naruto. We're your teammates! You have to be able to trust us!" Sakura declared with a hurt look.

Naruto's blank gaze fell on her for the briefest of moments before he shrugged and refocused on the desert. "Whether or not I _have_ to trust you is irrelevant. I made a promise and I followed through with it. My promises are taken with the upmost care, Sakura."

She still looked hurt, but she reluctantly let it go since he had shown many times that he kept his promises to the letter. However, the pinkette was surprised to see Tenten suddenly stop in her tracks and turn to Naruto in surprise. "Wait a minute…" she murmured.

Naruto met her gaze calmly before his lips quirked in a small smirk, making her eyes widen.

"You spoke…smart like!" she exclaimed.

"Yes…" he drawled out with his smirk growing slightly. "I finally woke up, Tenten."

He then surprised the others when he used his fingers to plug his ears. However, their surprise was cut short with Tenten's arms stretching over her head in excitement and a cry of, "FINALLY!"

Their ears rang at the sheer volume of her excited exclamation while Naruto unplugged his ears with a content sigh. "I take it you're relieved?" he asked.

"What do you think?!" she asked with a grin before she pulled him in a headlock and rubbed his head affectionately. "I was wondering if you'd _ever_ show your real self again, little brother!"

"Brother?" asked the others collectively.

"Tenten, would you care to explain?" asked Kakashi with a curious glance at her actions toward Naruto.

The weapon specialist let go of the blonde and shrugged. "Nothing much to explain, really… I found him practicing with his chakra strings a few years ago and saw that he was using them with kunai to throw them in multiple directions. I was interested and revealed myself to him, which nearly got me killed by the way," she stated while giving a deadpan look at Naruto who shrugged without any sign of regret or guilt.

"You surprised me," he defended. "You really think it was wise to sneak up on someone who obviously had a grasp on their chakra?"

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly in response, making him chuckle lightly. "Anyway, after I explained why I was there, he flat out told me no. I ended up following him for a few days asking him constantly to teach me, but he refused every time. It got to the point that I ended up visiting him now and then without even asking him to teach me and I saw him work on a puppet occasionally. It was then that I came up with a deal for him; he teaches me the chakra strings and I let him use my forge to work in private and I supply his puppets with weapons. I was also sworn into secrecy in regards to his skills in exchange for him making me a few high grade seals."

"So…you hid your true strength all along?" Neji questioned the blonde with a raised brow.

"I did," he admitted. "But it was all for the sake of keeping a promise to my now deceased teacher. The Naruto you think you know was just an act; a façade to keep everyone else in the dark about my skills. Only a few of my experiences were truly me and not an act."

"And those were…?" Kakashi asked with a slight narrowing of his eye.

"I plan to tell Tsunade everything when we get back," stated the blonde. "You can all hear about it then."

Annoyed but seeing that trying to force him to tell would be counterproductive, the Jonin just nodded with a sigh as the two teams kept heading for Konoha.

[Tsunade's Office (A couple of days later)]

"Teams 7 and 9 reporting in, Hokage-sama," saluted Kakashi as he stood in front of her desk with the others.

The blonde Senju looked up from her paperwork while her assistant, Shizune, stood to the side with her pet pig, Tonton, ever present in her arms. She gave them all a narrowed gaze, but it lingered on a certain fellow blonde's the most. What surprised her was the look of pure calm under her piercing stare, but it only proved what was sent to her hours before by Kakashi's summon dog, Pakkun.

"I'm impressed with your success on the mission. I had thought the Kazekage was passed, but I received a scroll detailing his gratitude toward Konoha for his safe return." She raised a brow to the Copy-Nin and asked, "He _was_ dead, right?"

"Hai, but Elder Chiyo used a sacrificial jutsu to exchange the remainder of her life to bring back the Kazekage. She was buried honorably upon our return to Suna."

"I see," replied the Godaime with her gaze lowered. "I'm sure her passing was hard for many. However, we must not linger on the past and focus on the now. You're all dismissed except for you, brat," she said, pointing at the Uzumaki. "I'd like a word with you."

Once the others left – some more reluctant than others – Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed his stance slightly. "I take it you have questions about what happened on the mission."

"Of course I do!" she yelled. "How could you keep something like _that_ a secret for so long?! Sasori was an S-Rank criminal and you were _taught_ by the man! Do you realize how important that information could've been to Konoha?"

She was surprised when he glared at her so coldly that his blue eyes looked to be made of pure ice. Shizune unconsciously shivered in fright at the glare and almost took a step back. The blonde noticed this and lessened his stare slightly. There was no sense in projecting his anger at her when she did nothing wrong.

"I will not betray the man who pulled me out of my own despair for 'the good of the village'," he stated in a deathly calm tone. "As for lying to everyone; I made a promise to him when he returned me to the Leaf. I don't know about _you_ , Tsunade, but I take my promises seriously; more so than anything else. And besides, Konoha would've just abused his teachings and tossed me aside. You know this since they've done it for as long as I can remember."

She cringed slightly at the truth of his words. If the Council got word of his tutelage under Sasori, they'd have him give them everything he learned before they cast him aside after his usefulness was over. "You still could've trusted some people with it. You can trust me, Naruto?"

He scoffed, making her narrow her eyes. "Oh sure, trust the woman who had to be convinced to return to her home to fulfill her duty as a medic and had almost given into the silver tongue of that snake, Orochimaru."

"Watch it, brat," she warned.

"Why, because you can't handle the truth? Honestly, Tsunade, who in this village would you trust if you were in my shoes?"

"My teammates," was the immediate answer, but even Shizune gave a disbelieving look at that.

"Yea, my team… You mean the one consisting of a lazy man who taught us nothing, an emotionally unstable survivor of the Uchiha Massacre, and a girl whose sole reason for even _joining_ the ninja core was said survivor?" asked the Uzumaki with his tone practically bathed in sarcasm.

The Senju frowned at his words, but she stayed silent since she couldn't argue. "What about my sensei?"

"Why should I trust the man who lied about my own burden and never told me who my parents were?"

"Y-You know?!" asked a shocked Tsunade, making him glare at her in growing rage.

"You knew too, huh? Who else knew; Jiraiya; the Jonin; the _entire_ village?!" he roared at her, making her cringe. "You expect me to _trust_ you when you yourself have kept secrets from me; secrets _about_ me! Well you know what? You can all go to hell like every other fucking hypocrite in this worthless place!"

With his anger driving him, he turned and left the office, slamming the door so hard that every picture frame fell off of its hangings and to the floor. Tsunade looked down with regret swimming in her eyes while Shizune kept staring at the door sadly. Gently placing Tonton down on the couch in the office, she hurried after the blonde puppeteer in hopes of trying to calm him down.

She caught up to him when he made his way to one of the training fields. "Naruto-kun, wait!" she called out, making him turn to her with his glare still present.

"What do you want?" he asked lowly. "I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone, so hurry up and say what you want."

She faltered slightly before standing strong under his gaze. "I want you to know that there are some people who never lied to you and trust you, Naruto-kun. There are some people you _can_ trust…"

"And who would those people be, Shizune? Who in this entire village has never lied to the Bane of Konoha?" he asked bitterly.

"…Well, _I_ have never lied to you," she answered in a soft tone. "I didn't know who your parents were either, so it came as much of a surprise to me when you called Tsunade-sama out on keeping the truth from you." She slowly approached him, pleased that he didn't make any motions that would push her away. "You can trust me, Naruto-kun."

He turned away from her, and she knew it was his anger still in control which brought a look of sadness to her face. "How do I know you aren't lying to me now? How do I know that I can trust you?" He then sighed in a way that reminded Shizune of someone _far_ older than Naruto should be. He looked to her and the woman's eyes saddened further at the almost dead look in his blue orbs. "How can I trust anyone when they always let me down in the end? The only person I ever trusted is dead," his eyes began to tear up and he choked out, "and it's all my fault… I'm responsible for his death. I killed the only person who _ever_ saw me as his son…"

He fell to his knees in pure sadness and released his tears, prompting Shizune to quickly wrap her arms around him and hold him close, tears of her own threatening to spill. _'So that was why he got so angry… He's not entirely mad at Tsunade-sama's accusations, and his real pain is knowing that he killed his own teacher and father figure for the sake of duty… Naruto-kun, I can't even begin to imagine the pain you must be feeling right now.'_

For an unknown period of time, she just held him close and let him release his sadness while whispering words of comfort into his ear. He slowly calmed down, but he didn't move from her embrace. He felt safe with her.

Still being held by her, he looked up into Shizune's eyes showing the vulnerability in his own. "…You swear that you've never lied to me, and that you never will?" he asked in a quiet tone.

She gave him a kind smile and nodded. "I promise you that I never have, and never will, lie to you or betray your trust, Naruto-kun."

For an agonizing five minutes, his blue orbs stared deep into her black ones before he slowly nodded. "I…believe you, Shizune-chan," he said as a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

She smiled back and gave him one last squeeze before she let him go and helped him to his feet. "I'm glad to hear that, Naruto-kun. Just remember that you can talk to me any time, and about anything." When he nodded, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Don't give up on others just yet, Naruto-kun. Now, I should return back to Tsunade-sama since she probably hasn't touched another sheet of paperwork since I left. Be sure to come by later and at least try to reconcile with her. Could you do that for me?"

He looked unsure, but the pleading look in her eyes withered away any chance of denial and he simply nodded in affirmative, making her smile.

"Good… I'll be there also to make sure things go alright." She then surprised both him _and_ herself when she leaned in and kissed him lightly on his cheek. "I'll be waiting, Naruto-kun," she stated before she left in a **Shunshin** (Body Flicker), leaving a blushing Naruto alone in the training field with a hand shakily touching his cheek.

"S-She just…just _kissed_ me," he whispered as his blush deepened and he hurried off to his home.

Back with Shizune, she wasn't fairing any better and arrived at the Hokage Tower with a red face. _'I can't believe I just did that… I kissed him! I mean, it was on the cheek, but I still kissed him!'_

' _And what's so bad about that?'_ questioned a voice just like hers.

' _He's practically my little brother! I can't just up and kiss him!'_

' _Why not? You and I both know that you've always had a soft spot for Naruto-kun. What's so wrong with showing that you care for him?'_

' _B-But-'_

' _Listen, you care for him, right?'_

' _Of course I do!'_

' _And you hate seeing him sad like he was earlier, right?'_

She internally frowned at the thought of him so down. _'I don't think I could ever handle seeing like that again…'_

' _Of course you couldn't, and you want to know why?'_

' _Why?'_

' _Because, deep down and unknown to you, you love him…'_

Shizune froze in her tracks, unknowingly in the doorway to Tsunade's office as she held the knob in her hands. The Godaime looked up from her desk and raised a brow at the look of shock on her assistant's face as she gazed at nothing in particular.

"Shizune…?" she asked in confusion.

The poor woman was too far gone to have heard her as she still registered what the deeper part of her mind told her. _'I…I love Naruto-kun…?'_

' _Of course you do… He's brave, strong, loyal, and he trusts you above everyone else. For Kami-sama's sake, he literally fell apart in your arms but was able to get back up because you were there for him! Face it girl; you want him.'_

' _B-But he's so much younger than I am!'_

' _Age is but a number… How long are you going to lie to yourself and keep from being with Naruto-kun?'_

Shizune's answer was left silent when Tsunade snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Shizune, you're spacing out! Wake up!"

"Huh, what?" questioned the woman as she snapped back into focus. She took a look at her surroundings and tilted her head slightly in confusion. "How'd I get here? I thought I was still at the entrance?"

"You spaced out for some time," explained the Senju with a critical gaze on her assistant, her medical training kicking in. "Do you remember what it was?"

To the Godaime's surprise, Shizune averted her gaze with a faint blush. "Well, it was something…personal."

"Is that right?" asked Tsunade as a small grin made its way to her face. "Thinking about someone special, eh?"

"I don't know… I'm confused about what to do."

"Well, if you need to talk to someone, I'm here. But for now, I need your help with this infuriating paperwork."

Shizune gave a wistful smile and shook her head in amusement. "Hai Shishō."

[The Next Day (Hokage Office)]

Naruto stood before Tsunade and Shizune once again, but Jiraiya was there as well per Tsunade's request. "So, Sasori was supposed to meet one of his spies for Orochimaru in less than a week at the Tenchi Bridge… Do you know who this spy would be, Naruto?" asked Tsunade carefully, not wanting to upset the blonde again. After he left her office yesterday, she went over their discussion and she couldn't fault him for his outburst or his feelings toward the village. If she were in his shoes, she'd most likely feel the same.

So, she made a promise to herself to make it up to him by showing him that he could trust her.

Jiraiya, having been told about Naruto's revelation before the blonde arrived, was unsure on what to do. Sasori was said to have a spy network that could easily rival his own and he feared that the teen could've given Sasori some secrets pertaining to Konoha. He also felt ashamed that he couldn't be there for Naruto and it hurt him to learn that the blonde found comfort learning from Suna's worst criminal and even learned from him.

The boy even called the Kage Killer "Master", something reserved for teachers that are respected above all else. If Sasori was his "Master", then what was the point of accepting his offer to become an apprentice to the Toad Sage?

Shizune was conflicted as she looked at the whiskered Uzumaki. The deeper part of her mind wouldn't keep quiet about how she was lying to herself about not loving him anymore than that of a sister loving her brother.

However, Shizune couldn't help but think back on all of the times she spent with the blonde. None of those moments were all that special, but it was remembering how his eyes looked when he was with her. Instead of the pain and loneliness she saw when she first met him with Jiraiya, she saw slight comfort and content. The deeper part of her mind told her that she was the only one who noticed since no one else said anything about it; either that or no one cared enough for him to notice and she did.

"That should be Yakushi Kabuto. I met him when I was about 7yrs old and Sasori-Shishō took me to visit his spy network. As far as I know, Kabuto should feel the effects of the elixir Sasori gave him years ago soon and remember about the meeting. He'll be expecting Sasori to be there in his Hiruko puppet," answered Naruto with a calm stare; something Shizune mentally sighed in relief about. It wouldn't do to have him get angry about this.

"Which means that we'll need to make one and have someone pose as Sasori to fool Kabuto," Jiraiya mused with his hand on his chin.

"Not necessarily," interjected the Uzumaki. "I have the remains of Hiruko and plan to restore it while adding a few personal touches. Once I'm done, I'll be able to pose as Shishō and question Kabuto. Even if my cover is blown, I could always say that I'm taking over Sasori's network." He then added mentally, _'Which I plan to do anyway… I suppose I need to make a few trips soon.'_

"I can't allow you to risk yourself like that, Naruto," Tsunade stated with a stern gaze. "If Kabuto suspects you, then things could go south real fast."

"Not to mention that Orochimaru could follow Kabuto to try and get some info on Sasori. You'd be stuck with two enemy shinobi that are both over A-Rank in skill easily," Jiraiya added.

"And yet you fail to see that no one else would be able to pull it off. No one knows Shishō like I do, so they wouldn't be able to play the part if Kabuto starts asking questions to have the actor prove that they're Shishō," Naruto countered. "I'm the best suited for this and you all know it."

The Godaime sighed tiredly at the truth in his argument. With the little amount of time they have, no one would be able to learn enough to act like Sasori perfectly where as Naruto spent five years with the man. _'I still need to get the details of his time with Sasori,'_ she thought before she nodded. "Alright, you'll pose as Sasori, Naruto. However, I want Team 7 to accompany you along with Sasuke's replacement and your new assistant teacher."

Raising a brow, Naruto asked, "Who replaced Sasuke and why do we need another teacher?"

"You'll meet Sasuke's replacement soon. As for the other teacher; he's a member of the ANBU and wields my grandfather's bloodline."

"A Mokuton user, huh?" mused the blonde thoughtfully. "You wouldn't happen to have chosen him because of the Kyuubi residing in me, would you?" She met his stare with a straight face which made him shrug uncaringly. "I don't see what you're so worried about since the fox doesn't even bother me all that much other than give insight on situations. Fox Face and I have come to an understanding of sorts, so we mutually help one another."

That surprised the others, especially Jiraiya. "You made a deal…with the Kyuubi?"

"Of course… Why wouldn't I when we're both stuck with each other for the rest of our lives? If you're curious about the deal, then it was basically giving the fox access to my senses and allowing it more open space in the seal in exchange for it helping me every now and then. So far, I've only used its power three times; once during the day of the Chunin Exams and the Suna/Oto Invasion, once against Sasuke to counter his Curse Mark and keep myself from using my puppets, and once against Jiraiya when I found out he was meant to be my godfather. You suspected that it was because you screwed with the seal, but that only allowed the fox access to my deeper memories and thoughts."

"You almost killed me that day!" Jiraiya yelled, making Naruto glare at him.

"And you nearly left me to my life as a martyr if we hadn't met by chance during the month of training for the Finals. You never once checked up on me, so I think I deserved to vent my anger on you."

"Enough!" Tsunade yelled, stopping them from arguing further. "What's done is done! Let's focus on preparing for this mission! Naruto, are you sure you could convince Kabuto to give us the information we need?"

"I can guarantee it," he answered without a shred of doubt.

"Alright then. You and the others will leave in two days for the Tenchi Bridge. Until then, I expect you to get ready."

"Of course," replied the Uzumaki before he left the office.

"This is a big gamble that you're taking, hime," Jiraiya warned the Senju. "And you know how you are with gambling…"

"You don't have to remind me… I just hope the brat will be okay."

"You two should really have more faith in Naruto-kun," admonished Shizune with a slight narrowing of her eyes. "When has he ever let you or anyone else down? Even if what we thought we knew of him was mostly lies, he's still performed to the best of his ability and proved many people wrong time and time again." She then turned her gaze to the door and gave a soft smile. "He'll be fine; I'm sure of it."

The two Sannin kept looking at Shizune in slight surprise at how she defended Naruto so much. Jiraiya eventually waved it off as her worrying about him and putting on a brave front, but Tsunade had other thoughts. She remembered that Shizune left after Naruto yesterday when he yelled at Tsunade in her office, how she seemed out of it when she returned, and how she said that whatever was conflicting her was personal with a slight blush.

' _She couldn't possibly see the brat_ that _way…can she?'_ she mentally asked herself before she added, _'I better keep an eye on her. I don't mind her seeing Naruto in that light, but I need to see if it will impede her during her duties.'_

Inside Tenten's forge, Naruto slaved away at restoring his Master's old puppet suit and modifying it. Kabuto would be but the first of many spies he would visit and/or replace. After all, it wouldn't due to have conflicting interests between him and Sasori's old followers.

' _Fist Kabuto at the Tenchi Bridge…then I make my way to Kumo and pay a little visit.'_

(End Chapter)

 **This is just a repost not a new chapter. I just fixed the spacing issues. sorry for the mix-up.**


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